Rejoice in the Lord

3^rdSunday of Advent Year C 2018:

I was really struck by the number of references to joy in the Mass this week.  It begins with the entrance antiphon for the mass, which says: Rejoice, I say it again rejoice. This is the reason why we call this Gaudete Sunday.  Gaudete is the Latin word used in this phrase.  This is a special Sunday of Joy, which is why we wear these rose-colored vestments.  

In the first reading we hear: shout for joy, sing joyfully. The psalm for this mass says: cry out with joy and gladness.  St. Paul says: rejoice in the Lord always, I say it again, rejoice.

So, Joy is the theme of this mass.  But, what exactly is Joy?  We might think of joy as an emotion.  We might think of joy as being something like bubbly enthusiasm.  Nothing seems more joyful than children at play.

Do we experience that kind of joy?  Sure, sometimes.  But, do we experience this all the time?  Probably not. So, how can we possibly fulfill what St. Paul is talking about?  He says rejoice always.

Clearly, he must be talking about something more than emotional exuberance, something more than bubbly enthusiasm.  Sure, joy might feellike this sometimes.  But, joy is more than an emotion.  Joy is a state of being.  In our context, joy is the Christian person’s response to the amazing activity of God in Christ.

Look again at the words of St. Paul.  He says, rejoice always, the Lord is near.  Have no anxiety at all.  Let the peace of God guard your hearts and minds.  This is what joy is all about.  St. Paul knew that first hand.  But, you know what I find so interesting about this reading?  St. Paul wrote this while sitting in prison waiting to be tried and eventually executed.  Isn’t that amazing?  I’m not so sure I would be filled with joy if I were in prison awaiting execution.  Yet, St. Paul was.  Why: The Lord is near.

You see, for St. Paul it was impossible for him to lose his joy. It was impossible for him to lose his trust in Christ.  He knew that the Lord was near.  The reason for his joy was not his external circumstances.  Rather, it was the internal disposition of being in union with Christ.

This is something I’ve been working on for a long time in my life.  It seems so easy to blame all my troubles on external circumstances.  Or, to credit all my happiness on external circumstances. So, if joy was completely dependent on externals then we should all quit our jobs, move to Hawaii and sit on the beach. Ok, maybe that doesn’t sound too bad. But, you know what would happen? Soon we would complain that the sun was too hot, or the cost of living was too high, or that the beach was too crowded.  

No, the source of true joy is internal.  It comes from communion with Christ.  It comes from having a higher perspective.  It comes from not being so concerned with the internal, but being focused on God.

I have a friend who I think does a good job of this.  Any time I see her I invariable ask: how are you doing?  Her response every time is: great, I’ve never had a bad day.  At first, I thought this was just some kind of Hallmark thing to say. But, she really believes it and lives it.  Now, does this mean that she has never had a problem?  Never had a tough day, a setback, tensions, or struggles.  Nope, she’s been through a lot.  But, her attitude is always good because she knows that God has blessed her so many ways.  She knows that the Lord is near in her life.

So, just like St. Paul in prison, she’s never had a bad day. That’s what rejoice always looks like.

So, where are you in all of this?  If I asked: how are you?  Could you answer: I’ve never had a bad day?  St. Paul in prison says: rejoice always.  Is your life that bad?  I doubt it.  Yet, even in prison Paul was filled with joy, because he was close to our Lord.  

So, let us celebrate this mass with joy.  This mass, and every mass, is a chance for us to be near the Lord.  He is really and truly present right here in the Holy Eucharist.  No wonder we always use music in the Catholic Mass.  Our first reading says: sing joyfully.  So, we sing here at Mass with great joy because the Lord is near.  Take some time to reflect on joy this week.  Hear again St. Paul’s words: rejoice in the Lord always, the Lord is near.